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Nathan L. Brouwer Phd
Data scientist specializing in complex ecological data
I am an ecological data scientist and educator with 15 years of experience extracting insights from messy data and communicating the results. I specialize in using generalized-linear mixed models (GLMMs) to analyze data from long-term observational studies. I have also taught myself key aspects of bioinformatics, phylogenetics, machine learning and population genomics. Note - All blue text is hyperlinked to relevant online materials.
Research & Professional Experience
Assistant Teaching Professor - General & Quantitative Biology
University of Pittsburgh Dept. of Biological Sciences
N/A
present - 2018
- R programming: Develop and deliver curriculum for Computational Biology course, focusing on machine learning, reproducibility, and high-dimensional data (4 semesters).
- Data analysis: Instructor for Biostatistics (1 semester) and consultant on stats curriculum for lab classes.
- Science communication: Teach scientific writing, non-majors biology, intro biology lecture, Ecology & Evolution Seminar - African Ecology, and labs.
Post-doctoral Research Associate - Avian Conservation
National Aviary of Pittsburgh
N/A
2018 - 2015
- GLMMS: Analyzed decade-long multisite tropical bird population and community datasets.
- Data cleaning: Cleaned and merged diverse datasets of environmental, remote sensing and organism traits data.
- R packages: Implemented models of migratory bird populations as reproducible software.
- Computational ecology: Developed sensitivity and uncertainty analyses methods for for migration models.
Adjunct Professor - Biological Data Analysis
Duquesne Unv. & California Unv. of PA
N/A
2017 - 2016
Graduate Student
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
N/A
2015 - 2009
- Graduate Research Fellow (2009-2010, 2014-2015) and NSF Pre-Doctoral Fellow (2010-2013).
- GLMMs: Determined appropriate model structures and analyzed data.
- Data cleaning: Updated, cleaned and managed data for decade-long plant demographic experiment.
- Field work: Designed and conducted research on plant demography.
Science Writer
N/A
2008 - 2009
- Wrote and edited customized biology materials for online charter schools.
PASSIONS
Conservation Biology
African Ecosystems
Forest Ecology
Species Interactions
Open Science & Open data
Science Communication
Graduate Student / NSF Pre-Doctoral Fellow
Dept. of Zoology, Michigan State State University
N/A
2007 - 2008
- Data Cleaning: Cleaned, organized and analyzed large-scale avian community ecology dataset.
Peace Corps Volunteer - Agroforestry Outreach
National Agricultural Research Institute, The Gambia, West Africa
N/A
2006 - 2004
- Science communication: Assisted in staff development and conducted outreach on sustainable agriculture.
Infecious Disease Research Scientist
University of Washington Department of Allergy & Infectious Disease
N/A
2004 - 2002
- Lab work: Conducted experiments on pathogen cell-adhesion proteins.
Publications - Science Education
Ecology for All!
Curated compilation of Open-Access ecology resources and new content.
N/A
2022
Gowarnis, Brouwer et. al.
Computational Biology for All! vs 0.9
An open access book for bioinformatics and computational biology.
N/A
2021
Brouwer
A Little Book of R for Bioinformatics vs. 2.0
Open-access bioinformatics primer.
N/A
2021
Coghlan (au.) & Brouwer (ed., au)
R Packages (available on GitHub)
redstart
R implementation and replication of Runge & Marra (2005) Modeling Seasonal Interactions in the Population Dynamics of Migratory Birds.
N/A
N/A
Brouwer et al.
combio4all
A repository of functions and data useful for introductory bioinformatics and computational biology.
N/A
N/A
Brouwer & Coghlan
Publications
PUBLICATION TOPICS
Demographic models
Longitudinal GLMMs
Species interactions
Tropical birds
Invasive species
Direct effects of a non-native invader erode native plant fitness in the forest understory
Journal of Ecology 108:189–198
N/A
2019
Bialic-Murphy, Brouwer & Kaliz.
- GLMM
- Dryad
Stream acidification and reduced availability of pollution-sensitive aquatic insects are associated with dietary shifts in a stream-dependent Neotropical migratory songbird.
PeerJ 6:e5141
N/A
2019
Trevelline, Nuttle, Porter, Brouwer et al.
- Unsupervised Machine Learning (NMDS)
- PeerJ Appendix
DNA metabarcoding reveals the importance of aquatic prey subsidies and the structure of dietary niches in a community of breeding riparian songbirds.
Oecologia 187: 85-98
N/A
2018
Trevelline, Brouwer et al.
- Unsupervised Machine Learning (NMDS)
Avian community characteristics and demographics reveal how conservation value of regenerating tropical dry forests changes with forest age
PeerJ 6: e5217
N/A
2018
Latta, Brouwer et al.
- GLMM,
ggplot - GitHub
Long-term monitoring reveals an avian species credit in secondary forest patches of Costa Rica
PeerJ 6: e3539
N/A
2017
Latta, Brouwer et al.
- GLMM,
ggplot - Harvard Dataverse
Increased photosynthetic performance of an invasive forest herb mediated by deer overabundance
AoB Plants 9: plx011
N/A
2017
Heberling, Brouwer & Kalisz.
- GAMM
- GAMM - GitHub
- AoB Plants
Mutualism-disrupting allelopathic invader drives carbon stress and vital rate decline in a forest perennial herb
AoB Plants 7: plv014
N/A
2015
Brouwer, Hale & Kalisz.
- GLMM,
ggplot2
Defining the interaction of the Treponema pallidum adhesin Tp0751 with laminin
Infection & Immunity. 73: 7485-7494.
N/A
2005
Cameron, Brouwer, et al.
Treponema pallidum fibronectin-binding proteins
Journal of Bacteriology. 186:7019-7022.
N/A
2004
Cameron, Brouwer et al.